Chapter 391: Chapter 391: Even for Profit, Not from the Poor

Huo Qian had also filmed quite a few videos. Watching the footage of the brand-new Little Deer Cuisine, Xue Can was shocked.

’Could it be just as I suspected? Is Shen Lu really a Superpower User, but with a rare, non-offensive construction-type superpower?’

No.

’No, that’s not right either.’

’It doesn’t matter what kind of Superpower User they are; using a superpower always causes energy fluctuations.’

’Huo Qian said she didn’t sense any fluctuations, which means it wasn’t a superpower.’

’I heard Fu Cheng went to the Military Hospital and isn’t at the shop.’

’So what’s the deal with this building?’

Xue Can desperately wanted to ask Shen Lu, but he knew she most likely wouldn’t tell him anything.

The braising liquid needed to simmer for a while. Shen Lu turned down the heat, covered the pot, and let it stew to draw out the flavors of the various spices.

She set up another pot, added water, and put in aromatics to remove any unwanted odors. Then she added the chicken feet, their nails already trimmed, to blanch them.

After blanching, she let them cook for a few more minutes before taking them out. She set half of the blanched chicken feet aside to air dry and submerged the rest in ice water to cool them down.

She heated oil in a new wok, patted dry the chicken feet that hadn’t fully air-dried, and dropped them in to fry.

This step was rather dangerous, so Shen Lu entrusted it to Little Mantis.

It was a robot, so it wasn’t afraid of the splattering oil.

The fried chicken feet were then soaked in ice water. This would create the "tiger skin" texture, and only then could they be seasoned.

Meanwhile, Deng Ying was deboning the chicken feet that had been soaked in the ice water.

It was a task that required skill but wasn’t particularly difficult—it just demanded patience.

Shen Lu had shown her how to do it a few times. Deng Ying had understood from watching, but she was still clumsy when she tried it herself.

However, after deboning four or five of them, she started to get the hang of it. Not only did her speed increase, but she was also much better at keeping the chicken feet intact.

Shen Lu offered to help her, but Deng Ying stopped her.

"Boss, I can handle this myself. Why don’t you go take a break?"

Deng Ying was eager to do more for Shen Lu. It wasn’t just about learning; she also wanted to repay her kindness.

Besides, there were no customers today. It wouldn’t matter if she did more or took her time.

Shen Lu agreed. After a moment’s thought, she decided to film a video of the newly expanded restaurant.

’It’s better to get a lot of footage,’ she thought. ’That way I can build up a backlog of videos and won’t have to rush to film and edit one every single day. The schedule is too tight.’

Shen Lu turned on all the lights and filmed the new fast-food area on the first floor. Then, she filmed herself taking the customer elevator to the second floor and did a panoramic shot of the newly built Dragon Hall.

After filming, Shen Lu mused, ’The hardware has been upgraded, so the prices should go up too.’

’The fast food can stay the same; it’s not meant to be a big moneymaker anyway. But the customers in the Dragon Hall are all wealthy, so a little price hike shouldn’t be a problem, right?’

’Besides, my cooking has improved by leaps and bounds. A price increase is completely justified.’

With a flick of her wrist, Shen Lu went through the electronic menu and raised all the prices. It wasn’t too excessive; she just added 1 to the first digit of each price.

What previously sold for 1,888 and 2,888 Star Coins now sold for 2,888 and 3,888.

Shen Lu remembered Bai Wanwan complaining about how expensive Spiritual Sea treatments were at the Upper City Hospital. The most effective tier of treatment cost a million Star Coins for a single session.

Even the cheapest was a hundred thousand Star Coins.

But that was at the Upper City Hospital. The Lower City Hospital was a bit cheaper, but prices still started in the tens of thousands of Star Coins. It was never cheap.

’My food is delicious, and it can soothe and heal the Spiritual Sea. As long as people aren’t greedy, one dish is enough. Where else can you find such a great value?’

At that thought, Shen Lu decided her prices were still too low. She added another 1 to the first digit of each price.

’Alright, that’s good for now.’

’I do have a conscience, after all. Even if I’m making money, I’m not ripping off the poor.’

While they were having lunch, Shen Lu watched as a tornado barreled into the city, and the dilapidated building housing Little Deer Cuisine was directly in its path.

It moved so fast, it was upon them in the blink of an eye.

With grim expressions, Huo Qian and Wu Jun urged Shen Lu to hide in the ditch they had dug. They couldn’t stay in the dilapidated building any longer; the tornado was sure to smash it to smithereens.

Shen Lu shook her head. "Don’t be afraid. It won’t be blown down."

"I believe Boss Shen." Deng Ying had become one of Shen Lu’s die-hard fans, on the same level as Cai Su. She believed unconditionally in whatever Shen Lu said and immediately stood by her side to show her support.

Yang Jing and Cai Su said nothing, but they silently took their places behind Shen Lu.

’They must be crazy,’ Sang Yue thought. ’A tornado, and such a powerful one at that! Aren’t they just waiting to die by not hiding?’

She couldn’t understand Shen Lu and the others’ stubbornness. At Huo Qian’s instruction, she dutifully went to the ditch, taking Xiao Lang with her.

The Liu Family father and son were also in the ditch. They had watched Huo Qian and Wu Jun dig it and had seen the tornado approaching. They didn’t need any convincing to quickly scramble into the ditch to hide.

Liu Qiang even grumbled at his son, "And you said you couldn’t get out of bed?"

’He seemed plenty nimble getting out of bed and opening the door.’

Liu Yaozu shot him an impatient glare. "The situation is critical. Can you stop talking nonsense?"

Liu Qiang turned and looked around, then asked Sang Yue, "Where are Shen Lu and her group? How come it’s just you and this little kid?"

Sang Yue looked worried. "They said the building is sturdy and refused to come over."

"Are they crazy? This is a dilapidated building that’s been abandoned for years! How can it possibly withstand a tornado?"

"Huh? Is that right?" Sang Yue grew even more anxious. She stood up. "I have to go convince them."

Sang Yue told Xiao Lang to stay put and ran back to get the others.

"Boss Shen, this is a dilapidated building! You can’t stay here! The rest of you, don’t just follow her blindly! Please, come to the ditch with me."

"It’s really not as serious as you think," Shen Lu said, unhurriedly finishing the last bite of her meal. She cradled a cup of hot green tea. "This building of mine is very sturdy."

"Boss Shen!"

Sang Yue didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She couldn’t understand the source of Shen Lu’s confidence. It was an unfinished, dilapidated building that had been abandoned for years. How could its construction possibly be sound?

’It’ll probably crumble to dust the moment the tornado hits.’

As they spoke, the tornado tore towards them, kicking up bricks and gravel from the ground. Huge pieces of steel could be faintly seen swirling within the vortex.

It was moving too fast. Sang Yue couldn’t have outrun it even if she tried. She let out an instinctive scream, bent over, and dove under a table.

Huo Qian and Wu Jun’s hearts leaped into their throats. They flanked Shen Lu, one on each side, having already made a decision: if the wind swept them away, they would not let go of her hand, even in death!

Cai Su, Yang Jing, and Deng Ying looked tense. Trusting their boss was one thing, but facing a tornado up close was another entirely. No one could remain completely calm in the face of nature’s fury.

Even Shen Lu herself felt a little nervous.

She secretly asked her system several times.

Shen Lu: "Are you sure it’ll be okay? You’re not just bluffing, are you? Because if you are, I’m a goner."

[Host, rest assured! We Tongzi always keep our word. Even if the planet exploded and the universe were destroyed, your shop wouldn’t suffer a single scratch!]

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